No Sabe de que Habla
by Duo36103
Summary: When Bernardo is finally beginning to speak, both him and Diego are captured. Will Bernardo's speech be trouble for Zorro?? Now PG for a fighting scene. Oh, and for the "love of all that is holy," IT'S FINISHED!!!!!
1. Conspiracy Theory

No Sabe de que Habla  
  
Chapter 1  
  
Diego de la Vega sat quietly at a table in an old Tavern, listening to his man-servants `guitar playing.' He  
  
messed up half the notes, having Sergeant Garcia show him the correct ones. Bernardo was always fooling Garcia, who was possibly the most idiotic person on the face of California.  
  
Bernardo and Garcia were good friends. Now matter how many tricks he played on the fat sergeant, he never took them to heart. In fact, they have come in handy a few times, but about half the time he winded Garcia up in jail.  
  
Diego just sat there, drinking wine and listening to a guitar, half dozing, half awake. Along with him, the bartender was beginning to drift away into...into...well, whatever he dreams about. Small, rough snores where heard in his direction. Diego chuckled a little, and Bernardo looked up at him.  
  
Garcia was also looking, not paying attention to the messed up song he was practicing. Bernardo snapped his fingers, bringing Garcia back down to earth. He continued and so did Bernardo.  
  
After a few songs came the finally. A slow song was played, which was kind of a surprise to Garcia since it was his favorite song. Diego liked it too, so he listened to it, and fell into an almost deep sleep.  
  
ZZZZZZZ  
  
Bernardo walked out of the Tavern, smiling a mile-a-minute. Like his little secret that he kept from the town (him being both deaf and mute), he kept another secret...from Diego de la Vega, his master.  
  
For years, Bernardo never said a word. He tried, but failed every time. Now, he was doing something about it. Thankful for Diego's contribution to the Mission, Padre Felipe offered to help Bernardo say just a few words, until he could say them all by himself.  
  
As he walked down to the Mission, he `laughed' at his guitar playing. Constantly, he would screw up the notes to confuse people. He even played them wrong so many times; he sometimes thinks that's what the notes are.  
  
The farther he went out of town, the more he could see Felipe's shadow. A small fire was lit, and pieces of paper were scattered all over the place. Padre was also in a rather cheerful mood.  
  
"Buenas tardes, Bernardo. Ready to go?" Padre asked excitedly. Bernardo nodded, and sat on a tree stump. Felipe sat as well.  
  
"Ok, first word." Padre held up a piece of paper. "To." Bernardo tried to sound it out, and much to his surprise, he got a little noise from the back of his throat that sounded more like `te' than `to', so he tried again, and again, and again. Until, all of a sudden, he said To... 


	2. ? Locilazaste al hombre?

No Sabe de que Habla  
  
  
  
Chapter 2- ?Locilazaste al hombre?  
  
As Diego woke up, the Tavern was closed and the guy-who-owned-the-bar was waking him up. Diego rubbed his tired eyes and walked out side.  
  
He started looking for Bernardo, but he was no where in sight. He tried to walk backwards (Bernardo had a strange gift for following people), that didn't work. He looked in the stables, he wasn't there. He even went back to the dungeon type thing where Tornado was kept, he wasn't there either. There wasn't any where else to look, just to ask around.  
  
He found Garcia just sitting in a chair next to the well. Really, Diego didn't know why he was asking Garcia himself, but he was desperate. So he asked anyways.  
  
"Sergeant Garcia, have you seen Bernardo?" Diego asked hopefully. Unfortunately, he gave Diego a confused look and said:  
  
"No, Don Diego, I have not. I saw him leaving the Tavern a little after you fell asleep." Diego was on to something now. Time to think like Zorro, he thought as he quickly came up with the easiest, no-brainer question.  
  
"Did you see which way he went?" Garcia looked confused. Oh my, Gawd Diego thought.  
  
"Actually, I saw him head for outside of town. Maybe he was going back to your hacienda!" Garcia's face lit up at the thought that he might have solved his first mystery on his own. Diego's face also showed a small smile. He looked around for a lantern, and a match to light it with. Garcia held up one.  
  
Saying his thanks to Garcia, Diego turned and started walking outside of town, just as he was lighting the lantern...  
  
ZZZZZZZZ  
  
Bernardo's small moment of joy was wasted as he saw a dim light come up from the blackness of the night. It didn't completely shatter his moment of glory though.  
  
"I think it is time to go now Bernardo. Hasta luego." Padre said as he turned to his own way. Bernardo picked up his practice papers and turned to go back to the town. He tried harder to stuff them into his pocket as he ran back to the hacienda.  
  
He was already nearing the town, and the light was getting closer, so he had to sneak his way around it. He didn't have very much light, and he heard something snap.  
  
He looked down at his own feet and a twig had somehow found its way under his foot. As he looked around to see if anyone was still trying to find him, a rock narrowly missed his ear.  
  
That was enough to spook him. He ran as fast as he could back to the hacienda, and down to the stable where Tornado was kept.  
  
As he sat next to Tornado (the horse was kind of interested in what was on the papers as well), he began digging through the words to try. He saw words such as In, Out, Act, he even found his own name. When he came to the last piece of paper, the word was clearly Zorro.  
  
ZZZZZZZZ  
  
Diego could've sworn he heard something snap. He picked up a rock and threw it in that direction. Thinking Bernardo would never go this far out without telling him, he decided to head back home.  
  
Grief overwhelmed Diego. Why would he do this? Since Diego was just a little baby he could remember Bernardo always being there. He liked all his weird magic tricks, mostly because it left Garcia thinking about it for days. He always laughed, no matter how hard he tried.  
  
As he got closer and closer to the hacienda, an idea hit him so fast and hard it nearly knocked him down. Diego checked his watch and it read 8:57. At this time of night, there was only one place that Bernardo would go.  
  
His heart was pounding as he raced into the hacienda and down into the cellar, nearly knocking his father down. Sure enough though, Bernardo was sitting down next to a brush for Tornado with a few pieces of paper stuffed into his coat pocket... 


	3. A real quick note

No Sabe de que Habla  
  
  
  
***Quick Note***  
  
Why did Diego get all excited you ask? Simple, Bernardo usually brushes Tornado at around 9:00, so he won't wake anyone up. 


	4. Hacerse el Estupido

No Sabe de que Habla  
  
Chapter Three -Hacerse el Estúpido  
  
  
  
Bernardo turned around and smiled at Diego, as if nothing was really wrong. He continued to brush Tornado as Diego walked closer to him, half filled with anger; half filled with relief.  
  
"Bernardo, where have you been? I have looked all over the plaza and you still weren't there." Diego fumed. Bernardo casually turned and showed him a person strumming a guitar. Diego understood.  
  
As much as he tried, Diego couldn't stay to mad at his faithful servant, so he nearly stormed back upstairs. Bernardo sighed deeply...  
  
  
  
ZZZZZZZZ  
  
Don Alejandro de la Vega was sitting upstairs as he saw heard his son come upstairs. He turned quietly and waited until Diego was unsuspecting, and then make him jump for once. Diego was turned around, pacing sideways.  
  
"What troubles you Diego?" Alejandro said as quietly as he could. Diego did, in fact, jump and nearly tripped knocking over a vase. Alejandro chuckled, but Diego was not pleased.  
  
"It's Bernardo, he keeps on sneaking off and reappearing in the cellar. I just want to know where he goes." Diego said, a little bit more calmly then how he said it down in the cellar. Alejandro thought for a few moments, and came up with a few ideas. He frowned if the ideas were bad and smiled a little if the ideas were good. Finally he blurted out the weirdest thing he could think of.  
  
"Maybe he has a lady friend that he goes to meet." He said, but Diego gave him a much-known-look (courtesy of Sergeant Garcia and his confused look). "Forget I ever said that." Alejandro recovered.  
  
Diego didn't hear what his father last said, he was too busy thinking. After a few moment of intense thinking, he darted back down the secret passage to where his Zorro costume was kept.  
  
"Like I said before," Diego slyly said "If you cannot wear the skin of a lion, wear that of a fox..."  
  
ZZZZZZZZ  
  
As Bernardo watched Diego "walk" upstairs, he decided to try some of the words. Maybe if he picked out the easiest and saved the hardest for last, he might get somewhere. The first word was Act.  
  
"Ah..Ack..Ackt..Act." He said quietly. He nodded his head as he smiled and went on to the next word, Seven. It might have been a little hard, but he'd try it anyway. "Siv, sev, an. Sevan? No, seven." After he said it correctly he thought about it again, and noticed that it sounded more like Seveeun. He also noticed that he said No.  
  
He was growing tired after he tried a few more words, so he went back to his room and quickly fell asleep... 


	5. El Telón Deber Caída

No Sabe de que Habla  
  
Chapter 4- El Telón Deber Caída  
  
  
  
As Diego put on the costume of Zorro, he noticed that nothing was heard, nothing except Tornado's heavy breathing.  
  
If there was one think wrong, it was the silence of the hacienda, but the loud jeering of the Tavern. Sergeant Garcia probably got himself into another mess again.  
  
Another reason to go.  
  
As Zorro left, Tornado let out a long neigh that would've scared any other man...except the fox.  
  
"I'll be back in a little while, Tornado. Just be patient," Zorro soothed as he turned to leave the dungeon. When he faced the blackness of the night, he sighed, "Although that isn't one of your stronger points."  
  
Something was up in the Tavern and it was the job of Zorro to find out. Zorro thought for a moment on how to make his big entrance. All of a sudden, he heard something.  
  
"Zorro! Everybody, wake up. It's Zorro!" Someone shouted. Zorro wheeled himself around and was face to face with the Comandante himself. In an instant, all the lancers in the Tavern were rushing out to face the masked rogue.  
  
Sergeant Garcia was behind all the men, carrying a half full glass of red wine. He downed it before he drew his sword and started chasing Zorro himself.  
  
The Lancers had come prepared. There were just too many...  
  
ZZZZZZZZ  
  
Bernardo jumped at the sound of a gunshot. Something was wrong, and it was his job to find out.  
  
There were no windows in the little room that he called his own, but at least the door was facing the plaza. He opened it just enough to see all the Lancers crowded around someone.  
  
His curiosity growing, he opened the door all the way. It was hard to see over some of the guards.  
  
As he squeezed his way through the mob, he could see a dark figure in the hands of Garcia. The face was hard to make out. It was hidden behind a black-cloth mask.  
  
A mask! Then it would have to be Zorro. But, wait a minute, Diego was Zorro.  
  
"Senores and Senoritas, I give you the people's champion, Zorro." The Comandante's voice boomed over the crowd. The mob had some protestors and some defenders.  
  
Bernardo glanced at Garcia, who noticed him standing there. For once, Garcia understood what he was saying. A troubled look fell over his face.  
  
As the Comandante continued, horror inside his stomach grew.  
  
"Tonight, you will actually see who your champion is. Tonight, the mask is taken off!" Cheers erupted from the mob. People tried to push through the Lancers blocking their view.  
  
It was now or never, he had one chance to stop the insanity. Bernardo got up all his courage and-in his head-said a small prayer. He walked up to Garcia tried as hard as he could to find a way to get him to let his grip go.  
  
He couldn't pry his hands from Zorro's shoulders, but a diversion was enough. Garcia let go without paying attention.  
  
Zorro tried to get away, but the Lancers grabbed at him, tearing the cape and pulling him down to the ground. Bernardo got frustrated, and started throwing the Lancers off of him.  
  
As Bernardo struggled for his friend, Garcia grabbed him and put him back behind the mob again. The Comandante's voice stopped the uproar.  
  
"Wait! Garcia, bring him back up here. He probably works for Zorro himself."  
  
Time was running out. He tried to muster up any sound he could, but he was to busy trying to brake free of Garcia.  
  
"Ladies and Gentlemen, for every great hero, the curtain must fall. This is your champion!" The Comandante untied the knot, and the mask fell to the ground... 


	6. ¿Quién protegerá Zorro?

No Sabe de que Habla  
  
Final Chapter-¿Quién protegerá Zorro?  
  
Gasps filled the entire mob. Diego could see his father standing in the middle. The Comandante was laughing evilly, until he spoke up again. "Alejandro, come up here. Take a last look at your son...before he dies." Comandante blared. Zorro protected the people, but who would protect Zorro?  
  
ZZZZZZZZ  
  
Bernardo struggled to brake free of the Lancers. There was only one thing left to do. "W-w-wait! I'm Zorro, I'm the real Zorro!" He blurted out, sloppily. Everyone tried to figure out whose voice it was. Alejandro and Diego stared. Bernardo looked on, sorry and ashamed. Yet at the same time, he was almost proud of himself. He tried getting the crowds' attention. "It was me all along. Let Diego go, now." He stated. Garcia let go again, but this time no one tried to stop Diego. Faces registered disbelief. Some, content, as if they knew it was him. Diego wanted to help, but it was too late now, nothing would be able to stop what the Comandante was about to do next. "Take him to the gallows. Tonight was Zorro's last performance." Comandante chuckled. A grin began creeping over his already satisfied face. Sergeant Garcia stood up, protesting the evil action. "No, I can not let you do this. The Little One can't be Zorro, he's too small." Sergeant boasted. Bernardo never stopped and realized he was shorter than Diego. Garcia continued: "Come to think of it, the real Zorro looks like you, Comandante." This caught him off guard. Suddenly, the mob started shouting their agreements. "Take him to the gallows!" Most shouted. Garcia grabbed him. As the Comandante struggled, Garcia turned to Bernardo. "Run!" Garcia said. And so he did, Bernardo ran, and no one saw where he went... 


	7. Epilogue-Noche del Funcionamiento Final

No Sabe de que Habla  
  
Epilogue  
  
"....well, I guess you could say I had a pretty exciting time. I'll never forget what Sergeant Garcia did for me that day. I'll never forget how good my master was to me." The older man sat back and thought about the story he just told to his grandson. "What happened to your master, Grandpa?" The boy asked eagerly. This caught the man off guard. Before he could answer, the older mans son, Diego, walked out onto the patio, calling his own son into the hacienda. The man continued to tell the story, without an audience. It was harder to finish the story rather than to begin it. "I can't tell you what became of Diego de la Vega. I just don't know..." Bernardo trailed off, wondering what did happen to Diego that night. What happened to everyone else? All he knew, Zorro made his final performance that night...  
  
Ése es el final de la historia. (That's the end of the story)  
  
Dedicado al Guy Williams y Gene Sheldon. Gracias por la aventura. 


End file.
